Efrain Toro is a Puerto Rican born percussionist who built his career in LA and for the last three years has been living and working in Spain. He came to South Africa during last year's Arts Alive for a brief collaborative stint with drummer and former student Barry van Zyl, pianist Andrew Lilley and bassist Concord Nkabinde. The band worked so well that he decided to return two months later for a tour, taking in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Porth Elizabeth.

By Efrain Toro:

I am in South Africa now and loving it. I will be opening a drum school and center in Johannesburg in August. I just finished a CD collaboration with a student and 2 other friends. Very nice stuff and I'll be sure to send you a copy for review on your site.

There is all kinds of music. I had the pleasure to meet and work with a young repair from Cape Town who I believe will be famous all over the planet. His name is "d-Form" from a band called Moodphase5ive, also a female vocalist, Ernestine. The record was financed by government radio station, SAFM. I am doing some other good work here and meeting lots of great people.

I have two other bands which will be recording shortly. Both the bands are with top SA musicians. South Africa is a wonderful place with amazing surfing beaches, great food and some of the baddest vocal music tradition in the planet.

I'll in LA for two lectures on Flamenco music at UCLA in April 20 an 21, half hour before Paco de Lucia's concerts, who is the guitar god for the last 30 years and probably the most important to the tradition so far. Then I go to the Zildjian Factory, then visit my mother in NY (I hope it does not snow) and back to SA. Then on May 4, I go to Port Elizabeth for some Rhythm Workshops. On May 9 I am in Spain for DW, Zildjian and Evans clinics in Seville, Malaga and Valencia the mother place on the PAELLA! Then I come back to SA to leave for Namibia for a 2 week recording for a government sponsored Jazz record with some happening musicians. Then I will be busy with the schools and the band recordings and others. No complaint except the RAND (SA money) is so weak in international markets that is a drag to buy American goods.... SA has fantastic wines and full of natural resources. Cape Town is probably the most beautiful city in the world and in all SA is very happening.... to be continued...

I plan to offer the drum school to people all over the world who want a good education at an amazing affordable price in one of the most beautiful settings in the planet.